Celtics-Wizards Grades

Jeff Green, PF27 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 8 PTS | +2
Green was hampered by foul trouble for his second straight game. I believe this to be the main cause of his underwhelming stat line. It’s pretty evident that picking up a few early fouls really dampens Green’s aggressiveness.There’s an unfortunate byproduct of Green’s somewhat off-game: the notion that Green doesn’t play well with Kevin Garnett. The delay on dispelling that misconception will have to wait at least one more game.

Paul Pierce, SF30 MIN | 5-13 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 15 PTS | +15
Pierce does so many little things. He pushes the ball in outlet situations, he takes big shots, and he defends multiple positions. The C’s had some breathing room to start the fourth but after a series of poor possessions, the once sound stranglehold had slackened. Mike Gorman indicated on the telecast that Pierce had lobbied Doc Rivers to re-punch his time card. Rivers relented and Pierce’s steady hand eventually calmed the C’s down and kept the Wizards from getting any closer.

Kevin Garnett, C24 MIN | 6-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 12 PTS | +8
Garnett was solid in his return. He was especially effective in making things difficult for whomever he was guarding by obscuring passing lanes and deflating any semblance of a personal space bubble. He’s had a long lay off and part of me really believes that many of the C’s bad losses during the time Garnett spent away could have been averted had he played the 24 minutes he played tonight. The other part of me is happy Garnett stayed away. I can almost guarantee Rivers would have played him more than 24 minutes in some of the C’s bad losses this past month. Now that he’s had his time to recuperate, I hope the there’s a hardcap on his minutes per game for the rest of the regular season.

Avery Bradley, PG30 MIN | 5-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +4
Man, if Bradley could shoot jumpers like most NBA two-guards he could easily average 20 points per game and open up so many other opportunities for other players. The Wizards are a pretty good defensive team and they were all too happy to let Bradley take jumper after jumper.

Shavlik Randolph, PF15 MIN | 2-2 FG | 4-7 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 8 PTS | +10
I’m going to have to start adjusting the grading rubric for Randolph. He’s just played so well since being thrust into the rotation. The best part of what Randolph brings to the game is his energy and hustle; two characteristics that are unlikely to abate given how badly he wants to stick around in the NBA. Randolph has a knack for getting boards that others have abandoned and then getting fouled on put-back attempts. If he could only consistently make his free throws, he would be a major- strike that- more of a pain in the ass for opposing bigs.

Chris Wilcox, PF20 MIN | 6-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 13 PTS | -3
Wilcox played with great energy and, for him, stuffed the stat sheet. He still, however, gave up some dunks by poorly defending the pick and roll and didn’t prevent shots at the rim the way you’d like a rotation big to do.

Jordan Crawford, SG16 MIN | 2-3 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 6 PTS | 0
It’s hard to judge anyone solely on body language because no one shares the same vocabulary. That said, my interpretation tells me that Crawford is having a rough go lately. He’s complaining a lot to the officials, he’s lagging behind in transition defense, and, most importantly, he’s holding back from firing away off swing passes within an offensive set and eagerly pulling the trigger on unassisted attempts. I have been pleasantly surprised with what I’ve seen from Crawford since he came to Boston, but I can’t help but think he’ll be more liability than benefit come playoff time.

Courtney Lee, SG18 MIN | 1-4 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 6 PTS | +5
Lee didn’t do anything spectacular, but with the new solidified starting lineup I like the idea of platooning Lee and Bradley. They are both long, athletic guard defenders who make their living shooting open jumpers off swing passes. They are also both adequate ball-handlers who can get the ball into the front court when need be.

Jason Terry, SG23 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 9 PTS | +7
Terry was a little careless with the ball but was also able to provide some balance to the offense. For all of his shortcomings, he adds so much value with his savvy, experience, and shot-making ability. I wish every night could be a 20+ point outburst, but this is likely on par for a “good game” from Terry.

Doc Rivers
Rivers did a great job of using his bench and not overextending any of his starters, including youngin’s like Avery Bradley. The priority is still to rest the older players, but the season is long enough to look/hope for moments to keep guys like Bradley and Green hydrating on the bench.

It's gone unheralded for the most part, but Bass really has turned his game up as of late. His shooting has been great, and he seems to have finally found the motivation to rebound and attack the rim again. Sadly, he still has hands like bricks. It's such a waste to ever hit him on a cut to the hoop as he'll bobble it every time.

Not sure if it will be a lingering funk (sure hope not) but JC seemed to suffer from the "gotta pay my old team back" syndrome this game – the same way Green had it against OKC. You could tell he was trying to make big plays and putting pressure on himself to have a great game. Hopefully he settles back in to being a unconscious shot chucker…that's the JC we need, even if it is unpredictable.

Also curious if Green will actually be a good fit in the starting line-up. He seems to play best without a post player and when he has opportunities to bring the ball up or get it early in the offense out high. He might be best coming off the bench (but still getting big minutes) as will Jet underperforming and JC getting performance anxiety the bench scoring is almost non-existent.

High Rollers

I think this year's mantra is going to come down to "start your best five [remaining] players." There could still be some juggling, but there's usually a degree of undesirable risk involved with changing lineup mid-playoff series. Needless to say, it's going to be interesting to see how Doc crosses that bridge if he comes to it. With either New York or Indy looming, I say go big or go home. At least to start things off.

Jeff may not be as professional a scorer as P at this juncture, but he's pretty close. I think Doc will be rewarded if he keeps that trust intact that he's built with the C's new Ironman. Nobody who gets two fouls early in a tilt has an easy time being aggressive the rest of the way. JG, P, LeBron… oh, sorry, I forgot. LeBron doesn't foul.

I don't see it as a demotion to bring Green off the bench. I'm wondering if he doesn't work best in a role similar to the one Harden played in OKC, with him still playing 36 – 40 plus minutes and closing out the half and the game on the floor. Have Lee start instead so we can establish defensive toughness and then a fresh Green slams teams with everything he's got, and exploits mismatches against the second team early on to get a rhythm.

The problem with starting the best five is Pierce and KG risk being forced to come in and play extra minutes (like tonight) because that second unit can't score…and (save for Lee) can't play D.

There really is no established starting line up at this point since nobody has been healthy together, and Green wasn't playing well enough to be considered a starter until KG went down. In the playoffs the starters will also likely depend on who we play. Green starting against NY is probably the way to go.

Although why the giving up on JG already? Arguably he was too aggressive, as it was the fouls that led to the ineffective evening (relative to his recent production). Remember Indy, Reds. Remember Indy.

High Rollers

Intriguing stat moving forward, courtesy A. Sherrod Blakely: "STAT TO TRACK: While the Celtics have seen their scoring defense rise recently with Kevin Garnett sidelined, their field goal percentage defense has still been relatively solid. In fact, Boston has held its last 22 opponents under 50 percent shooting which is the longest current streak in the NBA." http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/celtics-wi…

NZNICK33

If JG is going to be part of the starting line-up, I don't see why he has to put up 20+ points every time out.
KG, PP & RA also managed to co-exist and that meant some nights one guys stats would suffer for the greater good. Wouldn't it be a good idea to look at this trio the same way?

I hope JG does put up some good numbers next time out just to help dispel the notion he can't play alongside KG but at the same time, this new starting five is going to need a few games to gel.

I'm not against Doc bringing JG off the bench, but I really want to see what this big line-up can do.
Go C's!

IBleedGreen

Man, I am worried about Courtney Lee. He's been putting up ugly numbers since his return from injury. But I would still prefer to see him start over Bradley.

janos

time now for teamand playof start soon is only go for the seedings right now and hope is noones get a hurt

CG12

A few random observations.

Jeff Green needs to start, period. KG-Bass-Green-Pierce-Bradley is a defensive monster and should be a very good offensive unit, as well. Getting off to a good start is so important, and that is the lineup to do it. Green and KG will sit early and the other 3 guys will playing longer minutes in their first stint. Closing lineups will change a lot.

Avery needs to do a better job modulating his aggressiveness pressuring the ball. Against the John Walls of the world, he doesn't need to be going for a steal at half-court. He should focus on slowing up the ballhandler and giving them less clock to work with. And his shooting will come around. He is banging the 15-footer. It is the 22-foot corner 3 that isn't falling, but it will.

Randolph continues to be a revelation, providing the C's with the things they need most – energy and grit in the paint. There is a spot for a guy like that on any team, and especially this one, both now and in the future. Great to see moves on the margin like that pay off.

Danny

Nice to see us actually hold a lead and beat a bad team. Can't wait for the playoffs though.

CG12

One thing I was very pleasantly surprised about last night was the C's generally strong play in the paint. The Wiz have a pretty big front line with Nene, Okafor, and Seraphin, and teams with size like that have pounded the hell out of our guys at points this year. With KG back and Randolph's emergence, this team has gone from one with a suspect front line to one with a very strong one. The C's haven't had a guy crash the offense glass like Randolph does since Leon Powe.